Bill Belichick

At 72 years old, Bill Belichick has this physical status:

William Stephen Belichick (born April 16, 1952) is an American football coach who appears as the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League. (NFL)

He wields a slew of control over the Patriots' football affairs, effectively making him the team's general manager as well.

He has held multiple coaching titles, including winning a career six Super Bowls as the head coach of the New England Patriots and two more as the New York Giants' defensive coordinator.

Belichick, a retired and former NFL coach, his peers, and the media, have all regarded him as one of the finest football coaches in history by current and former players, as well as the media.

Before Belichick went on to become the Cleveland Browns' head coach in 1991, Parcells and Belichick won two Super Bowls together.

He remained in Cleveland for five seasons but was fired after the team's 1995 season.

He then returned to Parcells, first in New England, where the team lost Super Bowl XXI and then with the New York Jets. Belichick resigned after only one day on the job to take over the New England Patriots' head coaching role on January 27, 2000.

Since then, he has helped the Patriots win 16 AFC East division titles, 13 appearances in the AFC Championship Game, and nine Super Bowl appearances.

Belichick has won eight Super Bowl titles in total from his stint as an assistant and head coach. With 31 and third in regular season coaching victories in the NFL, Belichick is the NFL's longest-tenured active head coach, as well as the first all-time in playoff coaching victories with 261.

He is one of just three head coaches to win six NFL titles.

For the 2003, 2007, and 2010 seasons, he was named AP NFL Coach of the Year.

Early life

Belichick's uncle, Jeannette (Munn) and Steve Belichick, Jr., was born in Nashville on April 16, 1952 (born Stephen Bilii). Bill was named after College Football Hall of Fame coach Bill Edwards, who was his godfather. Belichick, a Croatian family and his paternal grandparents, Ivan Biliij and Marija (Mary) Barkovi, emigrated from Dragani, Karlovac, in 1897, settling in Monessen, Pennsylvania.

He was born in Annapolis, Maryland, where his father served as an assistant football coach at the United States Naval Academy. Belichick has said that his father is one of his most influential football mentors, and Belichick has often studied football with him. Bill, according to reports, learned to hate game films at a young age by watching his father and Navy service do their jobs. He graduated from Annapolis High School in 1970 with classmate Sally Brice-O'Hara. While playing football and lacrosse, the latter was his favorite sport. He attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, for a post-graduate year with the intention of raising his grades and test scores in order to be admitted to a quality school. In 2011, the school inducted him into its Athletics Hall of Honor, a 40-year celebration.

Belichick played center and tight end at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. He competed in lacrosse and squash, as the captain of the lacrosse team during his senior season, in addition to being a member of the football team. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1975 as a member of Chi Psi fraternity. In spring 2008, he was inducted into the University's Athletics Hall of Fame for the first time.

Personal life

Both Nick Saban and Belichick are good friends. "Two profitable Croats in the same division of football, which Belichick described when they were talking about their friendship in 2007." You must admit that you don't get enough of it every day. President Donald Trump nominated Belichick to serve as a member of his Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition in May 2018.

Nike has Belichick's Alaskan Klee Kai dog. Following Nike's appearance on camera during the 2020 NFL Draft, there has been a surge in interest in the breed.

In 1977, Belichick married businesswoman Debby Clarke, but they separated in 2006. The couple have three children. They allegedly separated before the 2004 season, although the Patriots announced them in July 2005. Belichick was also accused of retaining a friendship with former Giants receptionist Sharon Shenocca, which contributed to her separation.

Belichick has been involved with Linda Holliday, the executive director of the Bill Belichick Foundation, since 2007.

Amanda, Stephen, and Brian have three children with Debby Clarke Belichick: Amanda, Stephen, and Brian. Amanda is a 2007 graduate of Wesleyan University, where she, along with her father, competed in lacrosse. She spent time at Choate Rosemary Hall, both as a lacrosse coach and in the admissions department, before college. She began as an assistant coach for the University of Massachusetts Amherst women's lacrosse team before joining the Ohio State Buckeyes in the same position next year. She was named head women's lacrosse coach at Wesley College in Massachusetts in July 2015 after serving as an interim head women's lacrosse coach. Stephen played lacrosse and football at Rutgers University on scholarship. Stephen was hired as an assistant coach with the New England Patriots in May 2012 and moved to safeties coach in 2016 and then into outside linebackers coach in 2020. Brian was hired as a Scout assistant in 2016 and then promoted to safeties coach prior to the 2020 season.

Belichick would be given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then-President Donald Trump on January 10, 2021, according to Politico. In a tweet issued the next day, Belichick expressed excitement at being chosen for the award but denied it. In reaction to the storm, he referred to the Capitol's raging just a few days earlier and expressed his "deep respect for our country's values, liberty, and democracy" in the midst of the tragedy. Since the announcement of the award became public, a number of Massachusetts politicians, including Senator Ed Markey and Representative Jim McGovern, had previously called on him to withdraw.

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Coaching career

Belichick, a 1975 graduate, served as an assistant to Baltimore Colts head coach Ted Marchibroda. He joined the Detroit Lions as their assistant special teams coach in 1976 before adding tight ends and wide receivers to his coaching duties. On January 9, 1978, he and head coach Tommy Hudspeth and the remainder of the coaching staff were fired along with head coach Tommy Hudspeth and the rest of the coaching staff. He spent 1978 with the Denver Broncos as their assistant special teams coach and defensive assistant.

Belichick began with the New York Giants in 1979, as a defensive assistant and special teams coach. In 1980, he began teaching linebackers and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1985 after Perkins' departure in 1983. Following the 1986 and 1990 seasons, the Giants gained Super Bowl XI and Super Bowl XV. In the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his defensive game plan from the New York Giants' 20-19 defeat of the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV has been inscribed.

Belichick was the Cleveland Browns' head coach from 1991 to 1995. During his time in Cleveland, he set a 36–44 record, leading the team to the playoffs in 1994, his first winning season with the team. In the Wild Card Round during that postseason, his one playoff victory during his Browns tenure was against the New England Patriots, who were coached by former Browns head coach Bill Parcells. Despite starting 3–1, the Browns finished 5–11 in Belichick's last season in Cleveland. Bernie Kosar was cut early in the 1993 season, and it was one of his most controversial moves. In Super Bowl XXIVIII as a backup, Kosar was signed by the Dallas Cowboys two days later and won a Super Bowl with the Cowboys. Art Modell, the Browns' owner, had predicted that his franchise would be relocated to Baltimore in the midst of the ongoing football season in November 1995. Belichick was fired on February 14, 1996, one week after being given promises that he would manage the new team that would later become the Baltimore Ravens.

Belichick spent time with the Patriots as assistant head coach and defensive backs coach after his release by the Cleveland Browns. The Patriots won the AFC Championship over the Jacksonville Jaguars and gained the AFC Championship, but they lost Super Bowl XXI to the Green Bay Packers amid rumors of Parcells' impending defection.

Belichick served as the head coach of the New York Jets for two seasons without ever coaching a single game.

Belichick, a former assistant coach for Bill Parcells with Bill Parcells, was named as the Jets' interim head coach in February 1997, but the Jets and Patriots were negotiating compensation for Parcells' release from his Patriots contract and allow Parcells to coach the Jets. Parcells was allowed to coach the Jets by six days later, and Belichick became the team's assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.

Parcells resigned as head coach after the 1999 season, but he had already contracted with team leadership to have Belichick replace him. However, Belichick was the New York Jets head coach for only one day. When Belichick was introduced as head coach to the media on January 4, 2000, the day after his recruitment was revealed—he turned it into a surprise resignation announcement. He scrawled a resignation note on a napkin that read: "I resign as HC of the NYJ" before taking the stage. He then gave a half-hour address announcing his resignation to the assembled press corps.

He was unveiled as the Patriots' 12th full-time head coach following this bizarre turn of events, replacing fired Pete Carroll, the New England Patriots' 12th head coach. Before Parcells resigned, the Patriots had been inquiring about his permission to interview him for their open head coach position. Belichick was still under Jets control, according to Parcells and the Jets, and the Jets' compensation was demanded by the Patriots. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue agreed, and the Patriots gave the Jets a first-round draft pick in 2000 in exchange for the right to draft Belichick.

Owner Robert Kraft took over nearly complete responsibility over the team's football team shortly after he was recruited Belichick, effectively making him the team's general manager as well. Belichick split some of the positions normally held by a general manager on other clubs with player personnel director Scott Pioli until 2009, although Belichick retained the final say on football matters. After the 2008 season, Pioli signed for the Kansas City Chiefs.

In the 2000 regular season, the Patriots went 5-11 and missed the playoffs.

In 2001, the Patriots went 11-5 in the regular season, and the Oakland Browns (in the "Tuck Rule Game") and the Pittsburgh Steelers went 4-1 to the Super Bowl. Belichick's defense held the St. Louis Rams' offense, which had averaged 31 points on the season, to 17 points, and the Patriots defeated the Patriots on a last-second field goal by Adam Vinatieri. It was the first Super Bowl championship in the Patriots' history.

The Patriots went 9-7 in the first season in Gillette Stadium (1972), the first in Gillette Stadium—and the Patriots went 9-0. New England finished second, tied for most common opponents) as the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins, but the Jets captured the AFC East title as a result of their third tiebreaker.

In Week 1, the Patriots opened their 2003 season with a 31–0 loss to the Buffalo Bills, a few days after releasing team defensive captain Lawyer Milloy. However, they dominated through the remainder of the season to finish 14-2, setting a new franchise record for wins in a season. The Patriots beat the Bills by 31–0 in the last week of the regular season. In the Divisional Round, the Tennessee Titans were defeated by the Tennessee Titans. In the AFC Championship, the Patriots intercepted four interceptions and defeated the Carolina Panthers 32-29 on a late Adam Vinatieri field goal, defeating the Indianapolis Colts and Co-MVP Peyton Manning. (Steve McNair of the Titans was also Co-MVP). Belichick was named the NFL Coach of the Year by the American Football Association.

The Patriots also finished 14–2 in 2004, defeating the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional Round. They opened the season at 6–0, and New England defeated New England 21 straight victories to put a win streak together with the 1972 and 1973 Miami Dolphins. In the AFC Championship, they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXIX and became the second team to win three Super Bowls in four years. Belichick is the only coach to do so, as the Dallas Cowboys had two head coaches from 1992 to 1995, winning three of four.

The Patriots went 10–6 in the 2005 season and overthrew the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card Round before losing to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round. Belichick won his 54th game with the Patriots, beating Mike Holovak as the winningest coach in the franchise's history.

The Patriots posted an 8-4 record in the 2006 season, defeating the New York Jets by a score of 37–16 in the Wild Card Round. They then defeated the San Diego Chargers in the Divisional Round next week before losing to the eventual Super Bowl XLI champion Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship by a score of 38–34. During the second quarter, the Patriots led 21–3 midway, but the Colts put on one of the best comebacks in playoff history.

Belichick led the Patriots to their first perfect regular season since the introduction of the 16-game regular season schedule in 1978, the fourth team to do so in National Football League history after the 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears and 1972 Miami Dolphins. They defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 31–20 in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The Patriots defeated the San Diego Chargers by a score of 21–12. The New York Giants, his former team, lost Super Bowl XLII after losing a controversial game to David Tyree near the end of regulation in 1972, the Patriots' victory over the Miami Dolphins as the sole team to do so, despite losing three games in the playoffs. Only two other teams in professional football have had a stellar season: the 1948 Calgary Stampeders (12–0) of the Canadian Football League, and the 1948 Cleveland Browns (14–0) of the Cleveland Browns (14-00) of the Cleveland Browns (14–0) of the Cleveland Browns (14–0) of the Cleveland Browns (14–0) of the All-America Football Conference and the 1948 Calgary Stampeders (12–0) of the Canadian Football Conference. In the former American Football League, no team had a stellar season.

quarterback Tom Brady sustained a season-ending injury in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2008 season opener. Matt Cassel, a backup quarterback, was named the starter for the remainder of the season. The Patriots won in Week 2 but set a new record for regular season victories in a row with 21 (2006–08). Despite losing over a dozen players to the injured reserve list, including Rodney Harrison, Adalius Thomas, and Laurence Maroney, the Patriots also had a winning season in their eighth straight season, going 11–5. Nonetheless, the Patriots, who finished second in the AFC East, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2002, losing on tiebreakers to the Miami Dolphins (who won the division on the fourth tiebreaker, improved conference record), and the Baltimore Ravens (who defeated the Patriots for the last playoff position due to a better conference schedule). The 1985 Denver Broncos were the only other 11-win team to miss the playoffs in a 16-game season.

Belichick, the Patriots' being a fully healthy Tom Brady returning as the starting quarterback, was able to lead the Patriots to their second straight AFC East division championship in 2009, a 10–6 record. In the Wild Card Round, the Patriots lost to the Baltimore Ravens.

In an incident dubbed "Spygate" on September 9, 2007, NFL security caught a Patriots video assistant tapping the New York Jets' defensive signals from the sidelines, which is not an approved location. "No video recording devices of any kind are allowed to be used in the coaches' booth, on the track, or in the locker room during the game." Eric Mangini, a former Patriots assistant, told league officials that the Patriots may have been filming their signals. The Jets officially reported to the league after the game.

Belichick was fined $500,000 by the NFL on September 13, the most fine ever levied against a coach in the league's 87-year history, and the Patriots were fined $2,000. In addition, the Patriots lost their first-round draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Roger Goodell, a former Jets quarterback, said he suspended the Patriots as a team because Belichick has so much power over the Patriots' on-field operations that "his behavior and decisions are properly attributed to the team." Goodell considered suspending Belichick, but decided that removing draft picks would be more detrimental in the long run. Belichick should have been suspended by Goodell for the Patriots' next game against the Jets, according to Gary Myers, a New York Daily News columnist.

Belichick later released the following statement: "Belichick" was later revealed:

Belichick's probation was the harshest ever punishment on a head coach in league history until the New Orleans Saints' Sean Payton was suspended for the whole 2012 season for explicitly knocking opponents out of games.

Belichick led the Patriots to a perfect 16–0 regular season record and was named 2007 NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press, following the incident and its fallout.

Belichick and the Patriots finished in the top seed in the AFC for the first time in 2010. However, the New York Jets' dominance of the divisional round came to an end early in the season.

The Patriots led the AFC with a 13–3 record in 2011. The Patriots won the AFC Championship game over the Denver Broncos in the divisional round, beating the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 when the Ravens failed to score a touchdown and sent the game to overtime, with Billy Cundiff failing to pass a touchdown and pushing the game to overtime. This brought New England to their fifth Super Bowl under Belichick. In Super Bowl XLVI, the Patriots lost by a score of 21–17.

Belichick was fined $50,000 for grabbing a replacement official's arm while trying to get more specific information on a decision after Baltimore barely converted a last-second field goal attempt to win on September 26, 2012. The Patriots made a 12–4 record in the 2012 regular season. They defeated the Houston Texans by a score of 41–28 and made it to the AFC Championship Game, where they lost by a score of 28-13, putting the season's eventual Super Bowl XLVII champion Baltimore Ravens to the Houston Texans.

With Rob Gronkowski's injury, Aaron Hernandez's detention and subsequent release, Wes Welker's release to the San Diego Chargers and Danny Woodhead's release of Brandon Lloyd, Belichick's Patriots began the 2013 season with a lot of upheaval on the offensive side of the game. Danny Amendola, drafted rookies Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce, and undrafted rookie free agent Kenbrell Thompkins were all signed by the Patriots to replace them. The team ended the season with a 12-4 record, winning the AFC East and securing a playoff spot and a first-round bye, seeding second in the AFC standings. They defeated the Indianapolis Colts by 43–22 in the divisional round. They lost by a score of 26–16 to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.

Belichick's Patriots started 2–2. Belichick uttered the word "We're headed to Cincinnati" (referring to the Patriots' next opponent) several times during a mid-week press conference, specifically Tom Brady, who was referring to Brady's offense and criticism of his team, particularly Brady. In the third straight season, they set a 12–4 record. They defeated the Baltimore Ravens 35–31 in the divisional round. They defeated the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 45–7 in the AFC Championship Game. They made it to Super Bowl XLIX, where they defeated the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 28–24. Belichick tied Chuck Noll for the most Super Bowl victories won by a head coach in his fourth championship as head coach.

Belichick's Patriots set a 12-4 record in their fourth straight season in 2015. In the divisional round, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated them. They lost by a score of 20–18 to the eventual Super Bowl 50 champion Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.

Belichick's Patriots set a 14-2 record in the 2016 season, earning them the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. The Houston Texans were defeated in the divisional round. They beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. They reached Super Bowl LI, where they defeated the Atlanta Falcons in overtime by a score of 34–28. At one point in the third quarter, the Patriots were down 28-3 on the third quarter. Belichick captured his fourth Super Bowl title as a head coach with victory.

Belichick's Patriots won their ninth straight AFC East title and their 15th in the last 17 seasons. They defeated the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round by 35–14, and the Jacksonville Jaguars by 24-20, securing their second straight AFC championship while still extending their record of consecutive AFC Game appearances with seven. Super Bowl LII was Belichick's eighth title as head coach and his 11th overall in any capacity, as well as the Patriots' tenth appearance, raising NFL records. According to the Ringer, Belichick's team is different from many of New England's most famous franchises from the previous decade: The Patriots' first iteration of the Patriots dynasty was reliant on defense. They are 29th in yards allowed (though fifth in points allowed) and have instead developed the art of situational football. In playoff games, the new Patriots teams have been criticized for their latecomers.

However, in Super Bowl LII, the Patriots lost 41–33 as Eagles quarterback Nick Foles resurrecting his stellar NFC Championship Game play and led Philadelphia to victory in a high-scoring game. The Patriots were down early in most of their Super Bowl victories. However, they did not make a comeback this time, although they came close. Brandon Graham, the Eagles' defensive end, beat Tom Brady to get the ball back to the ball with around two minutes remaining in the 4th quarter. The Patriots did get the ball back to the game before the game, but they ran out of time to score.

For the first time since 2009, Belichick's Patriots went 11-5, losing 12 or more games. Despite this, the Patriots won their 10th straight AFC East title and their 16th in 18 years. In a tough overtime game in Kansas City, the Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in the divisional round by a score of 41–28 and the Kansas City Chiefs 37–31. The Patriots won their sixth Super Bowl title as a head coach and eighth overall in Super Bowl LIII, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 13–3 for Belichick's sixth Super Bowl championship and eighth overall to have the most Super Bowl rings in NFL history. His six championships tied for most championships for both George Halas and Curly Lambeau. The Patriots defense held the high-scoring Rams offense to 260 total yards.

Belichick revealed on May 13, 2019 that he will begin his duties as the Patriots defensive coordinator. Belichick won his 300th game as a head coach on October 27, 2019, with the Patriots' victory over the Cleveland Browns. The Patriots earned their 11th straight AFC East championship and tied for the 12th straight AFC East Championship during the 2019 regular season. By the final score of 20–13, the Tennessee Titans were defeated in the wild-card round of the playoffs, led by former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel.

For the first time in nearly two decades, Tom Brady's trade to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers left Belichick and the Patriots with an uncertain quarterback situation. Cam Newton, the former Carolina Panthers starter, was signed by the Patriots during the offseason for the 2020 NFL season. The global COVID-19 pandemic disrupted both off-season and regular season's routines and schedules, as well as the regular operating procedures of regular season. Despite the pandemic's unanticipated pains and challenges, the Patriots were still searching for a playoff spot until late in the season, finishing 7-9. Belichick's first losing season since his first year in New England.

With the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Patriots selected quarterback Mac Jones for the 15th pick overall. Belichick made the decision to release Newton and name Jones as the starter for the forthcoming season after Jones and Newton competed for the starting job during the preseason. Brady's Buccaneers visited the Patriots in Week 4 of this season, his first trip to Gillette Stadium since signing with the Patriots. Tampa Bay was barely able to win by 19–17 after missing 56-yard field goal by Patriots kicker Nick Folk. Brady and Belichick shared a brief embrace on the track shortly after the game, before Brady thanked his former teammates and some other Patriots employees. Despite fans' scathing of Belichick's lack of warmth demonstrated against his former quarterback, the two men briefly spoke in the Buccaneers locker room after the match. In 2021, Belichick led the Patriots to a 10–7 record. In the Wild Card Round, the team lost to the Buffalo Bills.

The Patriots have a regular-season record of 244–92–0 over 21 seasons under Belichick. Belichick is far and away the most successful coach in the Patriots; his 244 victories with the team outnumber those of runner Mike Holovak. Belichick also set a 30–11 record in the playoffs, with New England's 6–3 record in Super Bowls. He has led the Patriots to 17 divisional titles, including five consecutive titles from 2003 to 2007 and eleven consecutive titles from 2009 to 2019. This streak of eleven consecutive appearances is the longest for a single team in NFL history.

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